Appearances:

Overview

Captain Aker Santani is a career officer in the Imperial Combine's Navy. After leaving the Imperial War College on Kelvestyr at the age of twenty-one — where she studied the Naval pathway — she enrolled at the Imperial Flight Academy, then joined the Navy as a cadet-crewman at the age of twenty-three Solars. She has never held employment in the civilian sector.

During her many years as the commanding officer of the ICS Hammer, a Commodore-class heavy battleship of the Second Fleet, Captain Santani saw many faces come and go. There are few officers still serving on her crew who were present when she first began her original tour of duty.

Santani is protective of ship and crew alike, and has refused reassignment to other commands on several occasions. This forced Fleet Command to keep upgrading Hammer to extend her serviceable life, despite the ship's class being succeeded already in the fleet development roadmap.

Personality

Aker Santani is a cynical but humorous career officer. She is determined and courageous, and not perturbed by even the most grisly or demanding of her duties.

A veteran of the Perseus conflict, she is a courageous and resilient woman who has been proven in battle many times. Throughout her long career she has shown herself to be steadfast, reliable, and entirely loyal.

As a commanding officer Santani is responsible for all those under her, and the weight of this duty is clear in her words and actions. She is not tolerant of anything that would put her crew in jeopardy, and frequently worries about the battle-readiness of those members of her crew who are young in service.

Notable Events

​In the final weeks of 3722 ELC Santani was present at both the Siege of Laeara and the Battle of Chion, the two large-scale fleet engagements which were most influential in bringing the Perseus conflict to an end. At this time, like many captains, she was under the direct command of then-Rear Admiral Groath Betombe. She had already spent several years serving under Frewn Pensh, a fleet captain at the time, and the two developed a deep mutual respect which outlasted the war by many years.

Santani was also present during the Fort Tochi incident in 3739 ELC, an event which is now regarded as the ultimate conclusion of the Trinity Crisis.

In 3745 ELC, Hammer transported Elm Caden and his companions to Herros, Echo, and Aldava during their investigation into a silent research facility. Santani was aware from the start that the mission was covert, with some grim connotations attached to it, and initially was not in favour of taking part (→SFTD).

During that investigation, Santani took part in the orbital and atmospheric elements of the Battle of Woe Tantalum. While she lost her ship — and many hands with it — the incident proved that hostile forces were moving against the Imperial Combine. Santani however was initially treated as though she were responsible for a military disaster (→LOTD).

A short time later, Santani was cleared of any wrongdoing at Woe Tantalum by admirals Tabius Bel-Messari and Brea Kalabi, and informed that she would be furnished with the new Hammer II, a Huntress-class heavy battleship (→TRD).

While visiting the unfinished frame of her new battleship at Hepira Shipyards, Santani witnessed the Battle of Ramm Stallahad. She was then instrumental in preventing the shipyards from falling into the hands of the Shaeld Hratha, along with Woban Klade, and was the first person to notice the relationship between enemy ship behaviour and the condition of the Herses system's nexus (→TRD).

Santani and the Hammer II were involved in the naval element of Operation Sabre, in orbit of Palanda Ire. She was present already at the Beta Tricomis rendezvous when Elm Caden arrived in-system aboard Night's Shadow (→FSS).

After Operation Sabre the Hammer II took part in the attempt to secure Damastion's defence systems from Rasa interference. It was Santani's XO, Commander Woban Klade, who first identified the gravitational anomalies which would lead to the rapid retreat of the entire task force (→FSS).